Acceptance by the parliament of the offer made by the extraordinary lords of session regarding their taxation

As regarding the supplication given in by the extraordinary lords of session to the estates of this present parliament, whereof the tenor follows: My lord commissioner, to your highness and lords of articles of parliament, we, the lords of session adjoined by his majesty to the remaining lords of the session, according to the institution of the college of justice, forasmuch as we considering the motives and causes moving our sovereign lord the king's majesty to the imposing of the taxation to be presently imposed upon his majesty's lieges, which we find to be so just, important and necessary as touching so nearly the estate of his majesty and his royal children and the estate of the religion, not only within his majesty's dominions but within the most famous kingdoms and republics in Europe, that we think ourselves obliged of conscience, without any respect to whatsoever privileges which we may claim or pretend for immunity, to make humble offer of contribution according to the rate imposed upon the rest of his majesty's subjects, specially seeing we find that our predecessors in the month of August 1588, when the realm and religion was then threatened by the invasion of strangers, did make the like offer of contribution to his majesty, which his highness did graciously accept; and therefore we, all in one voice and in all humility and submission, make humble offer to your highness in his majesty's name to pay according to our lands, teinds and monies at 30s the pound land yearly for the space of four years, and at 5 merks for each hundred of annualrents, with this provision: this our offer shall in no way be prejudicial to us and our successors regarding our claim of immunity held and possessed by us and our predecessors, but that the same shall remain whole and entire to us unprejudiced by this our offer.

Which supplication of the extraordinary senators of the college of justice above-written being heard in presence of the estates, the said whole estates accept and are content with the desire thereof and offer made therein touching their assent given to the payment of the taxation mentioned therein, and declare the same shall be without prejudice always of their privileges, liberties and immunities as extraordinary senators of the said college of justice to be kept to them in all time coming.

  1. NAS, PA2/20, f.103r-v.